I know this is strange but each time I have a roast dinner of any kind I end up with cramps and severe wind. I thought it may be the gravy but tonight decided not to have it and bang I got it. My roast dinners usually consist of:
Some meat- either chicken, beef or lamb
Potatoes- roasted in olive oil
Carrots- roasted in olive oil
Pumpkin- roasted in olive oil
Broccoli steamed
Peas- steamed
Beans- steamed
Usually beef gravy but not tonight!
I really can’t pin point what is causing it.
Written by
paul_r_d
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I believe both broccoli and peas cause a wind build up as they are dealt with, by your body (intestines). Also, do you eat small mouthfuls and chew them until each mouthful is almost smooth, as this will reduce the amount of air (gas/wind) going into your stomach, and, subsequently, having to come out. Good luck and stay safe.
Perhaps it's the broccolli that's upsetting you rather than the heavy do give that a miss when you have one again and see if that's what upsets you.
I have the same problem with roast meals. I eat smaller amounts (half size portions to what I used to eat) when eating roast meals and no gravy. It is not the gravy but I seldom have gravy by choice now. I try to eat more greens and less red meat and roast vegetables. In fact consumed one last evening with no adverse effects. Roasted with canola oil one small potatoe, one small sweet potatoe, two portions of pumpkin, half a large roasted carrot, peas, cauliflower and half a stuffed chicken breast (small) with ham spring onion and garlic butter in, grilled in garlic butter, yes imitation fake butter. When I say small it is mouth sized without stuffing it in! If I over do it there is trouble.
I generally eat smaller meals regardless of what it is, but I only eat one meal a day and a sandwich for lunch of wholemeal and shredded chicken with fake butter. Copious amounts of cups of tea through the day, and always feel hungry. Sooner hungry than a full blown flair up!
I always find what I call heavier meals a problem, typically a roast or big meals, grilled leftovers can be a problem as they are generally bigger meals. I'm on a CKD diet and find it is helping the IBS at the same time.
Sadly BP meds have just killed the gut again, so back to basics and start the rebuild. Hope I caught it in time before it got too bad. Time will tell.
Could be the olive oil like Maureen 1958 says. I love olive oil, use to have it on my roasties, what ever I cooked, toast and salad but have now found it upsets my stomach. I dont use it now. Its all trial and error I'm afraid.
Broccoli, peas or beans contain FODMAPs which can be problematic for some people with IBS. To understand which you'd need to eliminate each in isolation as you have done for the gravy. In case you weren't aware of some aspects of IBS here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group that might of assistance:
IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce your anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.
There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here:
This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) or Symprove to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app it will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.
If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:
It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.
You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.
Brocolli and peas are possibly the issue. Look up low residue diet. I'd switch both of those for carrots /parsnips. Or cut the stems off the broccoli and only have a small amount
Same for me!! I think its the greens as I seem to be ok with potatoes. Cut down on portion size or just stick with peas
I think before you go off trying different ideas you best do some research on the topic. IBS has many forms and just firing off on one idea could make the situation worse. Firstly consult your GP and try to get back to basic bland food items until you can find what works for you, or not. Really quite easy to do when your health problems become more important than what you eat.
Don't be fooled into probiotics until you understand the ramifications of what you are doing to your particular IBS problem/s. There has already been one individual who thought probiotics was a wonder drug and didn't follow advice. Made his situation worse.
As I said consult your GP. Then figure out just how bad your IBS is, find out what foods you are reacting too, then make a plan of attack. But do the research so you are confident you know what you are doing is likely to help not hinder the situation.
If you find it is just the roast you react to, frankly, stop eating them. Blunt I know, but your health should be more important than a good roast meal.
There are also such things as digestive enzymes that can help with digestion, some foods are classed as digestive enzymes so no need to find tablets.
Do your research and stick to scientific fact, not anecdotal evidence.
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